My wife offered me 5 k ...

[samiam]

So my wife came home today and offered me five thousand dollars to put toward an observatory . What do i do ?

[Gregg Winter]

Say "Thank you"? and then immediately start building it or place your order! You won't regret it!

[Trevor Woodrow]

Divorce her immediately! How dare she do that! She does not deserve you!!!


Then give her my number....

[Charles Dunlop]

lol.

[samiam]

Trevor , I laughed so hard when I read this .

[samiam]

LOL ! I would really love to upgrade to the new CGEM dx mount .

[Jerome Roberts]

The only difference in the CGEM nad the CGEM DX is the DX holds 10 more pounds then the CGEM from what I have read

[Charles Dunlop]

yeah, I wouldn't get the cGEM if you have enough money to get something with a less than 5 arcsec tracking error.

I'm also playing with the edge HD 11 inch. It's not easy like other SCT's, not if you want the stars round across the field of view. There's a tiny quarter inch window of motion that the focuser can travel else the stars look like donuts. So I'm trying to figure out how to find an autofocuser that can do the job.

[Charles Dunlop]

I'd just get the CGE pro mount. I've got a cGEM now, I like it, but the CGE pro mount I just got is a whole other level, and will in the long run make you a happier telescoper.

[Charles Dunlop]

BTW, she could have "given you the 5K" to see if you'd buy her something, like an awesome jewel, or perfume... don't forget to get her at least something!! LOL

[samiam]

Lol , she gets a pool , the 5k is the bone she threw me . I'm not sure I can blow my whole buget on a mount though , do you have any specific issues with the CGEM dx ?

[Charles Dunlop]

Not sure what upgrades are on the DX, but the original cGEM, one thing that's not trivial is how much the wires get tangled as the scope slews. The other is simply that the tracking performance isn't great for the money. You can make it a lot better with Pempro Pec tools but I dunno, I'd rather not buy a high priced low end mount and would much rather get a low priced medium range mount like the CGE pro. That's all i'm saying. CGE pro will make your life easier, make it more enjoyable to telescope. I know OPT has an open box one for $4200..

[Greg Marshall]

See my review of the CGEM in the "Equipment Review" group. CGEM DX uses the exact same motors and very likely the same firmware. CGE Pro also probably has the same firmware issue, but I don't know anything about the motors, beyond that they are servos.

Nevertheless, it is Celestron's service department that is the main reason I wouldn't recommend their products.

Greg